Website Audit Checklist- Top 67+ Items Your Website Must Have

Website Audit Checklist- Top 67+ Items Your Website Must Have

by | Nov 16, 2021 | Website Design

The website audit checklist below is what we like to use before we publish any of our client’s websites. If you have an existing website or getting ready to launch a new website, then make sure you don’t miss out on the list below.  Every year it gets more and more difficult to compete online; therefore, It is critical to the success or failure of your website. The good news is that our web design checklist below covers some of the most common missed items.  

General Website Checklist

 

    1. Favicon- Does the website have a favicon? Make sure to include a favicon that can be seen clearly. If it doesn’t have a favicon, then you can go to https://realfavicongenerator.net to create one
    2. Header- Does the phone number appear on the header for the desktop?
    3. Blank Space- Is there blank space that can be filled with content? Don’t leave unnecessary blank space.
    4. Alignment- Are the images and text aligned? Does the website appear clean and structured?
    5. Footer Links- Does the Footer have main links as in the menu? This only applies if there is no sticky menu.
    6. Social Media Links – Does your website have social media accounts? Are there links on the website to indicate their social media presence?
    7. Do the images, audio, and videos all work on a mobile, tablet, android, iPhone, and desktop? Make sure to check on actual mobile device and not just your laptop. 
    8. Browsers- Can the website be seen across Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, and Firefox with no errors?
    9. Mobile Devices- Can the website be seen clearly on mobile devices? Must be responsive and have no errors. A good tool you can use is Google’s mobile-friendly test that can be found here: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly. It will let you know if your website passes the test. According to Tech Injury, 80% of users use their mobile devices to surf the internet.
    10. Logo Link- Make sure the logo links back to the homepage across the website. 
    11. Color- Is the color scheme consistent?
    12. Text- Does the text contrast well with the background? Is the text easily readable?
    13. Videos- Make sure that when the video is finished playing it doesn’t show more videos.
    14. Zoom Level – Can all text and main images still be seen at 80% and 125% zoom level?
    15. Are there “Call To Action” buttons like “Get Started Today” or similar. Usually, after a paragraph of text, we should see a call to action to increase conversions.
    16. Awards/Certifications – Did you showcase all of your awards and certifications?
    17. Does the address link to Google Maps?
    18. Testimonials- Do a quick google search to see if you can find any positive reviews on any online directories like Google Local Listings, Yelp, Facebook, or any others. If you see positive reviews, then make sure to add them. 
    19. Phone #- Does the mobile version of the website dial a phone # when clicked on? For example, if it says 559-553-5000, then will the cell phone start dialing that phone # when someone clicks on it?

Website Accessibility Checklist 

Web Design Accessibility Checklist
  1. Readability- Does the background allow the text to be easily read? For example, white background and yellow text are not a good combination. A good tool to use for is  the contrast checker https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/.  web aim contrast checker
  2. You can also use the Firefox browser and use the eyedropper tool to get to help compare the colors by clicking on settings –> more tools –> Eyedropper. Once you have the color codes, then you can go to the web aim tool above and compare the two colors to see if it passes the test.  accessibility plugin
  3. Contrast/Brightness- Can increasing the contrast and/or brightness to make the image look better?
  4. Slider- Can the text in the image be easily read? Make sure to add a background to the text if you can’t read the text. The slideshow should be going 3 to 4 seconds
  5. If you have a WordPress website you might want to consider using this free plugin: https://wpaccessibility.io/.
  6. Accessibility WordPress Plugin
  7. A great tool to check the overall accessibility of your website can be done by going here: https://wave.webaim.org/web aim audit tool
  8. Creating an accessible website deserves an entire checklist of its own since there are many more items to be considered. For more in-depth training, then we recommend this course on udemy.com here: https://www.udemy.com/course/creating-accessible-websites/

Web Design Image Checklist

Web Design Image Checklist
  1. Cropped/Stretched Images- Are the images cropped accordingly? Don’t stretch any images or cut off any letters.
  2. Copyright Infringement- Make sure to only use images that you have taken personally or have purchased. We like to use www.123rf.com or www.depositphotos.com because they have the best value. Being sued for copyright infringement is not fun and can be very expensive. It’s best to purchase your images, audio, or video if you don’t have original content.
  3. Compression- Is the image over 800px in width or height? Chances are the image is too big and needs to be reduced to smaller file size. This way it doesn’t slow down the download speed of a website. If your images are too large, you might want to consider using a tool called tinypng.comtiny png image compression software
  4. Image Headers- Are the image headers different on every web page? It is better to have a different image header on every web page. This way there is a variety to the website.
  5. PNG vs JPG- Does the image need to be in PNG because it needs to be transparent? If it doesn’t then it’s best to put it in JPG because JPG’s are not as heavy. This way the download speed is faster.
  6. LOGO- Does the logo background blend in well with the website background? You can use the contrast tool mentioned above.
  7. Quality Image- Replace any low-quality images. For example, are there any new graphics or logos that can be replaced?
  8. Text Readability – All text must have a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 against its background. Basically, can the text be easily read on images?
  9. 404 Pages- Does the website have custom 404 error pages? If not create one.
  10. Distinctive Links – Text links inside a body of text (not inside header or footer navigation menus) must stand out from normal text through at least two of the following markups: underline, bold, italics, color.

Contact Forms Checklist

Contact Forms Checklist
  1. Contact Forms- Does the contact form have a field for Full Name, Phone Number, Email, and Message? Make sure it does
  2. Contact Form- Does the contact form go to a thank you page. We need it to go to a thank you page because if you ever decide to run Google Ads, then a code needs to be added to the thank you page. This way you can know that the lead that was generated came from Google ads. 
  3. Test the contact forms. Did we receive the e-mail with all of the content from the form?
  4. Captcha- Does your form have a captcha from google to help prevent spam from the contact forms?

Text Content Checklist

Text Content Checklist

  1. Text- Are there any grammar errors? Did you run the text through Grammarly?

  2. Proofread the entire text and check for spelling errors. Use the chrome extension named “Web Page Spell Check” so that you can check for all spelling errors on the website.

  3. Text – Is the font size and style consistent through the different web pages?

    Search Engine Optimization Website Checklist

    seo Website Checklist
    1. Meta Description- Add an appropriate meta description that describes what the website is about. Make sure that each web page has a different meta description.
    2. Meta Description SEO- Is the Meta Description SEO-friendly? Does it include 156 or fewer characters and the SEO keyword?
    3. Friendly URL’s- Chavezwebdesign.net/checklist.html is a friendly URL and Chavezwebdesign.net/T?133 is not a friendly URL. This is specifically important when creating WordPress websites. Don’t use uppercase in URL’s.
    4. Links- Are there any links that lead to the wrong page, or a broken or outdated page?
    5. Add social share buttons: https://sharethis.com/platform/share-buttons re if you have more social shares, then you are likely to get more backlinks which will help you increase your rankings
    6. Check for broken links with this website: https://www.deadlinkchecker.com/website-dead-link-checker.asp/
    7. Is my target keyword(s) within the first 200 words of each paragraph? If you have a WordPress website, then a good tool to help with the overall SEO of your website is a plugin named SEO YOAST.  

    SEO Yoast plugin checklist

    8. Are my target keyword(s) in the title tag, alt tag, heading tag, and meta description?

    9. Underscores URL – Using underscores in your URL makes it hard for search engines to determine your site’s relevance to a search. Google sees hyphens as word separators while underscores are ignored

    Wrong = chavezwebdesign.com/how_to_go_viral

    Correct = chavezwebdesign.com/how-to-go-viral

    1. Title SEO- Is the title optimized for SEO? Does it have 70 or fewer characters and include SEO keywords?
    2. Heading Tags- Does the website have appropriate heading tags
    3. Speed- Does the website have average download times? Can the website be downloaded faster? If so, make sure to do so. Please go to https://gtmetrix.com/ to see what can be improved with the website speed. Another great tool to use is called https://pagespeed.web.dev/. This tool will also give you suggestions on where your website can improve its speed. 
    4. Does the website have Google Search Console? Google search console will allow you to see any performance issues that your website is currently facing. 

    Google Analytics Screenshot

    1. Is the website set up with Google Analytics? You’ll want to know who is visiting your website, how long they’ve been on your site, which web pages are performing the best, and so much more. 
    2. XML Sitemap- Does the website have an XML Sitemap? If not, then please create one. Make sure that there is a link on the footer named “sitemap”. This way search engines can crawl it faster.
    3.  Go to moz.org and create a free account. Once logged in go here: https://moz.com/link-explorer and document any websites that are linking to the website and have a spam score of 30% or higher.
    4. Schema Markup – There is a tab within SEO Yoast that will help you add scheme markup easily. 

    Website Security Checklist

    Security Website Checklist
    1. SSL Certificate – Does the website have an SSL certificate? The little lock on the top left-hand corner.
    2. Security Plugin – Do you have a security plugin to help prevent attacks? Wordfence or https://www.sitelock.com are security plugins that can help keep your website stay secure.
    3. Are all of your plugins up to date?
    4. Is your theme up to date?
    5. Are you running one of the latest versions of PHP?
    6. Do you have any plugins that are not being used? Too many plugins can slow down your website and expose you to security breaches. 
    7. Do you have automatic backups scheduled? Most hosting providers can help you get set up with automatic backups for a low monthly fee. 
    8. Security- Add protect your admin plugin as seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJuMDO2arEk

      E-Commerce Website Audit Checklist

      E-Commerce Website Audit Checklist
      1. In addition to the items mentioned above, you’ll also want to complete the items below for your eCommerce websites. 
      2. Does the website charge tax upon checkout? 
      3. Does the website offer other related products when viewing one of the product pages? It will normally say at the bottom “You may also like…” as seen here: https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/related-products-up-sells-and-cross-sells
      4. Does the website offer different shipping rates?
      5. Does the website have a terms and conditions page?
      6. Does the website have a return policy? 
      7. Does the website have a privacy policy? A good website we like to use is https://www.rocketlawyer.com. Here you can easily create all of the policies mentioned above. 
      8. Do a test order by choosing cash on delivery. Did everything go smoothly?
      9. Are the orders going to the client’s e-mail? Did they go to spam, inbox, or nowhere? 

      Congratulations! You made it to the end of the website audit checklist. If you need help with your website or need a custom website audit, then reach out to us. Most web design audits can be completed for $150 to $300 depending on the size of your website. Call us today at 559-553-5000 for a free quote.    

      How To Make Your Website More Persuasive With These Tips

      How To Make Your Website More Persuasive With These Tips

      by | May 13, 2021 | Website Design

      How To Make Your Website More Persuasive With These Tips

      How To Make Your Website More Persuasive With These Tips
      To attain a more persuasive website, there must be a main goal for your website. Ask these questions: Why did you create your website? What is its purpose? What message are we trying to send with it? Who is the audience for that message? How can we be the solution? How does our solution benefit our audience? If you cannot answer any of these questions, your website does not have a goal. Without a goal, your website lacks direction and conviction. How can you persuade someone to buy something when you don’t even know why you’re selling it, to begin with?
      So, can’t answer some or even all of those questions? Well, you are in luck, we are going to help you answer some of them.

      Who Is Your Target Audience?

      Knowing who your audience is that you are trying to sell your products or services to, is extremely important. This information will allow you to dial in your selling points and allow them to become more effective than they have ever been.

      However, you need to ask yourself, “Do I want quantity or quality and am I speaking to the individualistic mentality or the collective?” These questions will shape how you market to your target audience. If you decide to target the collective, you must focus on the bigger picture. Show your audience what you can do for their family, group, team, or community. Prove to them that what your offering is not just good for them but everyone. Whereas, if you choose to target the individual, you will be doing the opposite. You must show them you care about how they as an individual are affected by your product. Attest that these services will have a positive impact on them.

      Once you have decided whether or targeting the collective or individual, you are going to want to choose a demographic. If you do not know what we mean by demographic, it is the statistical characteristics of the human population. In short, it’s what makes up a person. Are they married or single? What is their income level? Where do they live? Children or no children? Gender, hobbies, ideals, etc… All these factors will play a key part in how effective your website is in persuading them to take action.

      So, who is your ideal customer?

      Who Is Your Target Audience

      What Is A Message

      A message is usually an idea or concept communicated through words either verbally or written, from one person to another. In business how you send messages to your customer, and what that message is are both important.

      Messages only work when your audience can understand them. For them to understand the message you need to make it clear and concise, but also consistent, compelling, and credible. Make sure the target audience can easily remember and grasp your message. Catch their attention with it and inspire them to take action. Do this repeatedly by incorporating it into various channels of communication. But, more importantly, make your message believable. Provide evidence that reinforces your key points and supports it.

      Do not over complicate your message. The more information you add to it the hard it becomes for your audience to understand it. All too often do we see someone trying to spew out as many words as possible in a limited amount of time. A good example of this is the billboards you drive by on the highway. You know the ones where you see a wall of text, and all you could read was the first seven words before driving past. If you keep the message clear and concise that should never be a problem.

      Nevertheless, one message does not always work for everyone. Just because you had the best delivery of your message ever, at the right time, with perfect visuals and design, does not mean the recipient of your message was captured, or even understood it. That is why it is better to have multiple messages, each tailored for different audiences. Doing this allows you to grab their attention and hold it. You can see this in your website design as well. Do not just jam one page with everything you have. Separate it so you can take your time and clearly say what you need to. Here an example of what we are talking about.

      RJ Automotive http://rjautomotiveservices.com/ is a website we designed, and we separated all their services to have individual pages. This was done so that when RJ Automotive is trying to sell their brake repair services, the potential customer is only getting the information on brake repair. Which in turn helps their message on how important brakes are to the safety of those in the vehicle, come through, and turn that potential customer into a paying one.

      What Is A Message

      What Is Your Message?

      To create a message, you must first have a business goal. You know, “What is your company trying to accomplish? What are you working for?” That kind of thing. Once you have a goal, we can take the next step.

      That step is figuring out how communication will help you achieve those goals. In what ways will sending a message help your business. Will it bring in more customers? Could you sell more? Understanding how your message will affect your business shall aid you in the creation of that message.

      After you have thought about how your message will help you, we need to now define your core elements. To do this list the most significant things needed to accomplish your goals. Create simple statements that are easy to remember and understand. You want them to be clear and concise so when you share them with another person, they can then walk away and share them with someone else.

      Now define your audience. Who are they? What do they do? What motivation do they have? Once you have found your audience, focus on what you want them to feel, think, and do. What results do you want to see after they have heard your message? However, make sure you concentrate on your target audience because your message can always be adapted for different audiences later.

      Next, think about the six great questions of life while your message develops. Who, what, when, where, why, and how? Who does this message impact? What does it say? When will it happen? Where is it happening? Why is it important? How can it be addressed? Answering these questions and similar ones will all become the framework of a persuasive message.

      Creating the framework is good and all, but you must support it with a good foundation. The next step is to provide evidence and information that will make your message credible. Include details that the customer might not have access to. Guarantee that what you are trying to convey with your message is trustworthy and supported by proven facts.

      Follow these general principles and you will be able to create a message that will cause your audience to take action.

      What Is Your Message?

      How Can We Be Your Solution?

      “We get paid to solve people’s problems.” These words have never been truer. Think about it, every time you go shopping, you are there to buy something to solve a problem. Whether that problem comes from hunger, thirst, lack of entertainment, or whatever, you are paying someone to remedy it. What you want to do is be the one getting paid for the solution.

      To ensure that you can be the customer’s solution, you must build their trust in you. This will not only aid you but make your customer more comfortable with their choice of coming to you. As to why that is, it’s because most people like to interact with individuals they trust or share some similarities to. So, to build their trust in first research any foreseeable problems and their solutions that may occur. If you know what problems you can solve and which might come up later, you will have an easier time persuading your customers that you are trustworthy.

      Your ability to answer customer questions and even bring up further information on their problem and potential outcomes will give you an advantage during your conversations with them. The reasoning behind this is because you will have control over the direction and flow of the conversation. Allowing you to be the “Problem Solver or Hero” they have been looking for. It will also help you open their eyes more to their problem and not have them immediately shut you down, because they were able to see their problem from a different perspective.

      How Our Solutions Benefit Them?

      People generally enjoy the feeling that they made the right choice. As such, you will want to assure them that choosing you is that choice.

      To start, focus on the customer and make them feel important. Let them know you care about their problem and what they might be going through because of it. Build their trust in you as we talked about above. Being able to talk about what their problem is and how it can be solved greatly helps here.

      After that, demonstrate what the solution will do for them. Give them evidence that your solution works. Show examples of your results, and what they may expect to see after their problem is solved. If you can provide them with proof and show them what will come after, you will give the customer more reasons as to why you are the right choice.

      Here is also a good place to bring up any positive reviews about your products or services. If there are customers who have shared the same or similar problems and got a happy result from your solution, it will give your potential customers a better picture of what they can expect from you. It goes back to what we were saying above, people like to interact with others like themselves. If you have positive reviews from people just like them, then you become a more trustworthy source in their eyes.

      So, do not be afraid of asking a happy customer to write a review, just remember to share it with your potential customers. Post your positive reviews somewhere that can be easily seen. If you are not sure as to where you post them, here is an example of what can be done.

      Testimonials

      Helping

      Ready to start converting more visitors to your website into paying customers? Learning something new is only half of your battle with making a persuasive website. Now you must act! Put what you have just learned to work.

      What actions will you take to help your website become more persuasive?

      If you do not have the time or would prefer to have an expert marketing agency like us help you, then please reach out to us. You can contact us here https://chavezwebdesign.com/contact-us/ or give us a call today at 559-553-5000.

      Are You Ready

      Also, if you enjoyed reading this blog article, we have several others with information on marketing, tips for increasing productivity, and even some about going viral. One such blog is How To Go Viral On LinkedIn.

      How To Go Viral On LinkedIn In 20 Easy To Understand Steps

      https://chavezwebdesign.com/how-to-get-viral-on-linkedin-in-20-easy-steps/

      Sources:

      https://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/blog/six-steps-to-create-messages-that-matter

      SEO Article

      SEO Article

      by | May 12, 2021 | Internet Marketing, Website Design

      What is SEO? List of Most Common Questions – Beginners Guide

      What is SEO? List of Most Common Questions - Beginners Guide

      SEO is the difference between your business being online and your business thriving online. If you can use SEO correctly you will not only be successful but become the leading company in your field.

      You don’t believe me, that’s fine. You will just have to miss out on learning what SEO is and how to make it work for you. So, go ahead and leave this page.

      You’re still here?

      Good! Let’s get started then.

      What is SEO?

      What is SEO?

      First and foremost, what is SEO?

      Well, SEO is the short way of saying search engine optimization. It is the practice of leveraging the rules and functions of a search engine to boost a website’s presence within that said engine. The key source of that leverage comes from understanding the words and phrases that users input when looking for anything online. This helps to increase the amount of traffic to a website.

      The way SEO works is by using the search engine’s feature to benefit one’s self. Most search engines automatically scan through the internet and archive information and websites it finds. They then sort through and organize their findings. When a word or phrase is searched through their engine it brings up the most relevant information they have archived. SEO is the process of leveraging how a search engine archives and categorizes information as the “best” or “most relevant” for any given subject.

      There are three primary principles to SEO, traffic amount, traffic quality, and organic results. The first, traffic amount, is simply the number of people visiting your website. The more visits to your site the better. The second, traffic quality, works with and against traffic amount. The reason is simple, you can attract thousands of people to your website, but none of those visits matter if they are landing on a page unrelated to what they searched for. Lastly, organic results are normal visits to your website that were not paid for. Meaning they came from an organic search rather than a paid advertisement.

      However, the most important part of SEO is the utilization of keywords. If used correctly, they will boost your ranking within search engines. All this means is your website has a better chance of being on the first search results page. So as for what a keyword is, they are the word or phrase that people search for when trying to find anything on the internet. An example being “Editing Laptop”, both words individually are important but so is the entire phrase. This tells the search engine to bring up anything that deals with editing and laptops.

      What is SEO Marketing?

      What is SEO Marketing?
      So, you must be asking yourself how SEO helps you sell your services and goods. Well, that is simple, it brings people with a higher chance of buying your goods to your website. This is the primary principle behind SEO marketing. You want to use keywords and how search engines work to bring in customers that will purchase what you have for sale. Effectively using this marketing strategy will help your business grow online.

      What is SEO Writing?

      What is SEO Writing?
      SEO writing is a form of writing that speaks to search engines and makes your website more visible. To be good at SEO writing requires the writer to be grammatically correct, clear, and concise. It should focus on the topic at hand. The writing should have a proper tone as to not offend or scare off the readers. But, most importantly SEO writing uses SEO keywords naturally. They flow throughout the page neatly and do not interfere or feel out of place. If you can accomplish this search engines will place your pages higher in search results.

      What is Local SEO?

      What is Local SEO?
      SEO that is focused on the people near you is known as Local SEO. As an example, let us say your business is in Los Vegas, Nevada, then everyone within Los Vegas and around it is more likely to see your business on a search engine. However, just because your business is near someone does not guarantee you a spot at the top of the search results. Local SEO has three primary factors, the first of which is proximity. The closer someone is to your business the higher your chances of showing up on the search results. So, keep your business’s information up to date and correct. The second is prominence, in other words, your reputation. How well known is your business? Do you have outstanding reviews on your goods and services? Do other websites recommend your products? These all affect your presence on a search engine. Lastly, we have relevance, it is simple, how well does your website match the needs of the searcher. You do not have any control over this but can be affected by your normal search engine ratings.

      So How Do You Use SEO?

      To start utilizing SEO to benefit your website, you will need to find out if your website has been archived by search engines. The easiest way to do this is to type “site:yourdomainhere” into the search bar and search for it. This should bring up any and every page from your website that has been archived.
      Here is an example of what it should look like “site:chavezwebdesign.com”

      If the search for your website does not bring up any results, there are several possible causes.

      Your domain could be too new and all you need to do is wait. Most search engines automatically crawl the internet to find websites to add to their archives. So, if you just created your website give search engines a day or two to find your new site and archive it.

      Another reason for the absence of results could be the lack of positive connections to your website. To avoid this just increase the number of those connections to your site. But make sure you have zero or as close to zero negative connections as possible.

      As to what is a positive and negative connection, they are links from other websites to yours. Therefore, the reputation of those sites determines how the connection is viewed. Consider it like this, you are looking to buy the best bicycle for downhill mountain riding, and you have two recommendations, one from a professional downhill racer and another from a pro skater with no experience in mountain biking. The choice should be obvious here which recommendation is better. It is the same way with links, those from reputable sites have a positive effect as those who do not have the opposite.

      If you do not know whether you have any links to your website, or even do not know if they are positive or negative, let us find out. You can use a link checker tool like the link explorer at MOZ.com, to check your website and see what links to your website you have. From there you can see how credible those sites are and determine a course of action. If your wish to not have the website link to yours, there is a process you can go through to have it removed. The first is to contact the other site and ask them to remove the link to yours. Yes, you will be asking and yes, the outcome depends on how cooperative the other website wishes to be. If you do not want to contact them, you can disavow the link through the search engine. Google offers a disavow tool for its registered users to use. The way to register is simple, you just tell google what domains you own and provide evidence of ownership.

      Another reason for a search engine failing to find your website is that its design, for one reason or another, is too complicated to be archived. Redesigning your website to be more search engine friendly will fix this issue. To help with that check out Google’s list of guidelines on how to make your website more search engine friendly. Here is a link to Google’s guidelines.

      “https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/webmaster-guidelines”

      These guidelines will help with the next possible reason your website is not being archived on search engines. That reason being your website policies. The rules you set for your site could be directly interfering with the search engine. You could be denying the engines access to your site or one of your policies could be against one of theirs. To fix this go through the Google guidelines talked about above and you should find the solution for your policies.
      Now that you have found your website on all of the wonderful search engines of your choice, it is time to find what keywords you should be using.

      So How Do You Use SEO?

      The simplest way to find keywords is to imagine what a customer would type in a search bar to find their desired product or service. This will not give you a clear picture of what people are searching for, but it is a start.

      Another way to find keywords is to visit other websites. I suggest going to Facebook, Quora, LinkedIn, and Reddit. The reason you should go to these websites is that they are where customers go to discuss their lives, experiences, and more importantly the products and services they have used or want. So, go to these sites and search for groups, discussions, reviews, and questions that are about your given product or service type. Look at the words they are using when describing what they are looking for in a product and their experiences with said products. These words can all be used as keywords for SEO.

      If combing through pages and pages of discussions and reviews is not something you want to do, you can always use an SEO keyword research tool. These are programs that handle all the research for you and gives you statistics on how popular the words are for searches. There are free versions of these tools as well as paid ones. The difference between all of them is the features they offer, so try them out and find the one you like best.

      However, do not make the same mistake that most businesses do when searching for keywords. That mistake is only doing it once. Our society is constantly evolving, whether that is a good thing or bad is up to you. What you need to take away from it is that this also affects how people search for things on the internet. The words they use will change in popularity and some can be replaced with others. To combat this all you need to do is keep your keywords updated. Make sure you research new words and phrases regularly and do not be afraid of expanding your current list of keywords.

      There is one more thing that you need to know about keywords. That is, the more popular the keyword, the more competition you have in using it. Because of this, do not be afraid of experimenting with keywords, and keep your keyword list diverse. Use words related to your goods and services that you think will not bring in many customers. Those words could become the best performing keywords in your list, and in turn, help give you an advantage over your peers.

      Once you have created your keyword list, the next step is to put those keywords to work.

      You will first want to group and categorize your keywords. What I mean by this is to put all the similar words together so you have manageable groups that will aid you rather than work against you. After you have groups all of the keywords into similar categories, you are going to further segment those groups into even smaller and more precise ones.

      So How Do You Use SEO

      We will use “handbags” as an example. You would group all the keywords related to handbags into one group. Next, divide those words into new groups such as colored handbags, leather handbags, canvas handbags, 100% recycled material handbags, and such. Those would then be further divided into smaller groups and so on and so on. Doing this allows you to have dedicated pages for each keyword. Those dedicated pages will allow for even more optimization, as well as allow customers to land on pages with only the information they desired. Doing this also aids you in not overusing the keywords throughout your website, and also by not having one page being smothered with every keyword you have in your list.

      Now that all your keywords have been grouped up into nice manageable categories, let us start using them.

      You want to make sure to place your keywords in page titles, the URLs for those pages, and throughout the pages themselves. Each keyword should have one dedicated page that talks about it. This allows you to fully use that keyword and show your customers why your version of it is different.

      Next, you want to make sure all the images you are using for a keyword have image alt tags with that keyword. This will be seen by google and aid you in getting the top spots in search results. Doing the same thing for meta tags has the same effect. So, make sure you are using keywords within them as well. The final thing you should do is to use your keywords as anchor links to their respective pages. For instance, if you have a page describing all the different handbags you have for sale, use those different types of bags as links to their pages. If you have “Leather Bags” then make it a link that redirects you to the page about Leather Bags.

      After finding and effectively using your keywords, the last step is to satisfy the people who land on your website. What this means is to ensure that the people coming to your website are landing on the correct pages related to what they searched for. Do not have the land on your page about wallets and they were looking for hats. When that happens, most people will just back out of the website and go to the next search result. Having the land where they intended to land, leads to them having a higher chance of purchasing your goods or services. If they do not land on a page related to their search, they now must search through your website to find what they wanted. This makes it more likely that they will be unsatisfied with their search and leave your website without buying anything.

      Conclusion

      SEO is all about leveraging how search engines give results to the people using them. You need to understand what keywords are and how to find and use them to benefit your website. Once you have effectively employed SEO in your marketing strategy you will see a difference in your online presence and your business success.

      Take what you have learned here and succeed!

      I would like to thank you for spending your precious time reading our blog. I would also like to recommend any one of the other blogs available on our website, all with tips and tricks to help businesses grow. However, my favorite is Top 10 Productivity Tips for 2020.

      https://chavezwebdesign.com/top-10-productivity-tips-for-2020/

      So, I encourage you to take just a few more minutes out of your day and browse through the rest of them. I am 100% positive you will find something else to aid your business.

      Sources:

      https://moz.com/learn/seo/what-is-seo

      https://developers.google.com/search/docs/beginner/seo-starter-guide

      https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-basics/

      https://www.onlinewritingjobs.com/seo-writing-for-dummies/

      https://yoast.com/what-is-local-seo/#:~:text=Local%20SEO%20consists%20of%20a,that%20we%20call%20local%20SEO.

      https://yoast.com/ultimate-guide-to-small-business-seo/#pillars

      https://developers.google.com/search/docs/beginner/seo-starter-guide

      https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/webmaster-guidelines

      Top 9 HVAC Marketing Ideas to Follow

      Top 9 HVAC Marketing Ideas to Follow

      by | Apr 17, 2021 | Social Media, Website Design

      Table of content:

      1. Optimizing your Website
      2. Create an HVAC Market Plan
      3. Advertise your Business
      4. Google Local Service Ads for HVAC
      5. Social Media Marketing
      6. Recruiting the Right Workers
      7. Customer Service Reviews
      8. Offer a Unique Service
      9. Reputation Matters
      These 9 HVAC marketing ideas will help your business grow and stand out from your competition, don’t miss out on this opportunity!

      The Top 9 HVAC Marketing Ideas to Follow

      Having an HVAC company is one of the best businesses to have but it does not come easily. There is a lot of competition in this field and you as a business owner want to stand out from the competitors.

      I encourage you to read this article and follow those 9 marketing ideas if you want to watch your business grow and overcome the competition. For you as the reader, I want to be able and provide these 9 marketing ideas that could only benefit your business. It does not matter what type of weather we are experiencing or whether the economy is booming or not HVAC companies are always needed. That is why my goal for you is to be able and follow these marketing ideas and watch your business begin to grow exponentially.

      It may not be easy with so much competition but believe me when I say that these 9 marketing ideas will benefit your business and you will have an advantage over the competition.

      1.Optimizing your Website

      Optimizing your Website

      If you do not already have a website you might want to create one. Making the best website for your business or making your current one better will increase your chances of generating more clients.

      The main point of your website is to generate leads that can be potential clients. You want to have a website that customers are attracted to and it is easy for them to navigate through it. Your HVAC website template should all be corresponding to your work and avoid having unnecessary items because they can cause your website speed to be slower. You should have contact information on all pages as well as a call-to-action to make it easier for clients to contact you. First impressions usually come from your website, if your website is easy and helpful clients will more than likely hire you. Another tip is to make sure your HVAC website is informative with testimonials to back up the work you provide. Clients want to make sure they are hiring the right business to do the work that they need done without any issues.

      If you have people who are constantly answering phone calls or any inquiries, it is recommended to add a chatbox to your website. This will help customers ask any question without feeling like they are entitled to hire you. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, fast in speed, and it is secured to use. The easier your website is to use the more clients it will likely generate.

      If you want the perfect HVAC marketing website created for your business consider Chavez Web Design to help you with this task, you will not be disappointed!

      2.Create an HVAC Market Plan

      If you want your business to grow you must create an HVAC market strategy that will help you do so. You do not just want to go into the market blindly, without having an idea of what you want to do.

      To start off the first thing you would want to do is build a plan and a budget to help you with your success. Your plan should consist of which advertising platform you want to choose and which fits your budget the best. It should also have a target audience in which your advertising will most likely reach. Your plan should also be competitive as the HVAC industry is continuously growing and you do not want your competitors having an advantage over you. If you do not consider establishing a plan it is easy to lose focus pretty quickly and without a budget, it will be difficult to measure wins or leads along your way.

      When you are choosing your advertising platform I encourage you to do your research and choose the one that best fits your business. There are different platforms you can advertise such as Google Ads or Bing. Once you decide which platform you will use to advertise your HVAC company you now want to set a budget. Depending on which platform you choose they each have different policies on determining how much your budget will be. When you target your audience you would want to use words or phrases that correspond to your HVAC business.

      Creating an HVAC marketing plan is beneficial to your business in many ways. So, consider creating one to help your business grow.

      4.Google Local Service Ads for HVAC

      One of the best ways to advertise your HVAC business is through Google local service ads. Your main goal for this is to have a top stop when customers search for services for HVAC. You will need to pay for this service so keep that in mind. Although, Google lets you set your own budget.

      Google Local Service Ads for HVAC
      Google offers different types of platforms to advertise your HVAC business. Some of these are Google pay-per-click (PPC), Google Screened, or Google guaranteed. Out of those three, my personal favorite to pursue is Google guaranteed because with that one your ads are guaranteed to show up as a top candidate. Although, in order to become Google guaranteed you must pass a background check, which might take some time to get approved, must pay for it, and you still need to maintain a high rating to compete with other Google guaranteed HVAC businesses.

      The advantage of Google guaranteed is you also get to set your budget and they are ranked higher than the pay-per-click as well as local service ads. So your only competition would be other Google guaranteed HVAC businesses. The choice will be yours depending on your budget and the target audience you are aiming for. I recommend doing a pros and cons list and choosing the one that benefits your business the most.

      Advertising is needed if you want your business to grow and reach new clients. It is up to you which way you prefer to do so. Once you have a better understanding of how the search engine market works you will be able to make your choice.

      5.Social Media Marketing

      If you do not already have a social media account it is a great idea to create one. This allows you to be able and engage with customers. They can ask questions and recommend your services by sharing your accounts.

      Two of my favorite social media accounts I prefer to use to promote businesses are Instagram and Facebook. Instagram is a great social media account to create brand awareness and a great way to gain loyal customers. On Instagram, you are able to show off the work you offer as well as show off the work you have done already. Use hashtags as they are the topic you do and they are also how other users find posts. Also, tag well-known HVAC companies that are partnered with you or where you get your supplies from. Finally take advantage of their story feature and show off your work by posting stories. Here are a few more tips on how to gain Instagram followers.

      Social Media Marketing

      Facebook has this feature that allows you to create a Facebook business page. Facebook is also the biggest social media platform there is with around 2.5 billion users a month. Just imagine how many leads you can generate out of creating an HVAC Facebook business page. Just like Google, Facebook also has a local service ad where many users are able to find your page as a top search. You can also invite your friends to like your page, and it is also easier to interact with customers through Facebook. So, take advantage of this feature from Facebook and create an HVAC Facebook business page.

      There are many social media accounts you can use to promote your business. So, choose all the ones you like and get started, you have nothing to lose.

      6.Recruiting the Right Workers

      The people you hire for your business have a lot to do with the way you provide the services you offer to clients. So, when hiring for your HVAC company make sure you target the right audience.

      Most of the companies use sites such as Indeed or ZipRecruiter when they are looking for top candidates to hire. Sites like these half many people searching for jobs and you can be one step away from hiring an excellent employee. Using sites like these can also save you time looking for an employee. So, I recommend you make an account for your business for one of these sites to help you look for recruits.

      Having your employees perform a good job for your clients can go a long way. If the client likes the service you performed for them they will more than likely recommend you and call you again if they need another service completed. One of your main goals with the client is to build trust, and to do so you need to hire trustworthy employees.

      Hiring the right employees is only going to help your business improve and grow. In that case, put in the extra time and effort to do so.

      7.Customer Service Reviews

      It may not seem like it but encouraging your clients to write reviews about the services you have provided for them will help your HVAC business exponentially.
      Customer Service Reviews
      Customer reviews are one of the most effective ways to get a top spot if you are using local services ads. Those reviews help your SEO score as well as make your HVAC business look good and generate more leads. You could also use those positive reviews as testimonials on your website page. Remember that customers are essential to helping your business grow, so show them some love. Do this by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, listen to them, exceed their expectations, and do a proper job. If you have customer service representatives (CSR) I recommend you taking some extra time and training them into your HVAC market strategy.

      Another great tip is to add a chatbox to your website. Most customers do not want to be waiting on the phone all day for someone to answer. So, enabling a chatbox helps you communicate with customers the way they want. Your customers should be one of your main concerns as they are what keeps your business going. Treating them right will only benefit your company.

      8.Offer A Unique Service

      Your HVAC company should be different from the competition in order for you to stand out. You should offer a unique service or proposition that clients may be attracted to and possibly hire you.

      This unique proposition should be able to identify a unique benefit, distinguish you from the competition, and solve the customer’s problem. By doing so, clients will feel like you know what you are doing and make their life easier. It should also outline the specific area of service you provide. For example, this could be a/c service, green energy, or heater installation. Whichever one you excel in should be the one that should be part of your unique proposition. Keep in mind that a unique proposition should convey what a customer will receive by choosing a product or service your business is providing or selling.

      With that in mind, I recommend you study your competition in the area you reside in. By doing this, you could find the competition’s weaknesses and turn those into your strengths. Competition is very high in the HVAC industry so getting ahead of your competition will be a big bonus for your company. You also must live up to the proposition you offer, you do not want to leave customers with a bad reputation.

      9.Reputation Matters

      Reputation Matters
      Your business reputation should be the main concern for your HVAC business because it matters a lot. The reputation you have for your business is going to make a huge impact on your customer’s reviews, which will affect the stop you will have in the search engine.

      You need to impress your customers by going above and beyond on the service or product you are going to provide. Also, you always need to be professional, polite, and do the service in the time you said you were going to do so. Keeping your word with the customer will help build your reputation with them. The biggest way to keep a good reputation with customers is by providing excellent services or products. They should be more than happy with the work you provide them with.

      Another way to help manage your reputation is by doing email follow-ups. Follow-up emails aren’t the ways you can use emails, you can also do promotional emails. Many customers enjoy receiving promotional emails just as much as follow-up emails. Few examples of promotional emails are:

      • New unit coupons
      • Companies charitable actions
      • Free maintenance service for new customers

      Other ways to help build your reputation are by answering and monitoring your customer’s reviews. You especially want to respond quickly to reviews to show customers you enjoy their interaction with your company.

      Your goal is to build a trustworthy business with a good reputation which will help your business grow exponentially.

      The Five Beneifts/Perks of Hiring a Web Design Company

      The Five Beneifts/Perks of Hiring a Web Design Company

      by | Oct 27, 2018 | Website Design

      The Perks of Hiring a Web Design Company

      With the modern technological advancements, every aspiring business needs a powerful, interactive and an enticing business website to enchant and attract the targeted audience. It is not optional anymore. Having a strikingly alluring website has become a necessity if you want your business to grow and succeed.

      We can easily assume that every growing business owns a website, but that’s where things get competitive. In today’s world, everything depends on the presentation, and your website is the first mode of communication between you and your audience.

      Surely, a novice in-house web designer can code a simple website, but complexity and elegance requires the expert touch of a professional web designer. Let’s take a look at some of the pros of hiring a web design company.

      The Five Benefits of Hiring a Web Design Company

      Two Heads Are Better Than One:
      Two heads are always better than one, and so on. When you employ the services of a web designer company, here’s what they promise; services of more than one professional designers. Even to a layman, that math makes sense. More than often, companies employ one in-house web designer who takes care of everything related to the website.

      A web designer firm gives control of your website to an entire team, and every individual is dedicated to their own area and tasks. What this means for your website is a detailed attention and coding to each and every aspect of your website. This translates into a smoother, and a more responsive web design and user experience for the audience.

      Involvement of more than one professional web designers also brings another useful element to the table. A single web designer cannot easily and quickly debug any errors with the website. Addition of more than one professional designers into the equation results in a faster and a more reliable solution to all the issues of the website. With their combined and versatile knowledge, they can solve problems with ease and in lesser time. This saves you from embarrassment in front of your targeted customers and clients.

      The Professional Look That Everyone Wants:
      You own a business, and everything about your organization should be professional and a reflection of your business motive. This applies to your website as well. Why should you settle for a cheap looking design, when you can easily have a professional looking responsive web design? The web design firms are skilled in the art of giving your website a professional and an elegant touch.

      A website speaks on your company’s behalf. It is the first interaction between your business and your possible future customer. You don’t want it to go poorly. When customers see a shabby and poorly designed website, the first and the only thing they do is “leave”.

      A smoother user experiences increases the chances of a longer interaction and therefore increases the chances of them subscribing to your services. Make it professional.

      A web design firm’s first priority is the outlook of the website. With their professional touch, your website can sell ice to an eskimo. The professionals deal with countless websites on a daily basis, and they know the right ingredients to spice up your website without losing the professional integrity.

      The Access to Complex Coding Tools:
      In-house web designers can also come up with amazing ideas and can possess the skills to code a good website. They are also cheaper and easier to manage, but why should you opt for a professional web design firm instead? The answer is “the access to the right coding tools.”

      Nowadays, most of the coding is done on previously compiled coding tools, which cut down on the coding time, and offer a scalable and a user friendly responsive design. These tools are available for a price and they professionals spend years mastering these tools.

      A company will not spend any money in buying a coding tool, whereas a web design firm uses these tools on a daily basis. What an in-house web designer can code in a week, these professionals can code that in a matter of a few hours with the help of such tools. It saves time, and offers sustainability for all aspects of the website, whether front-end or back-end.

      Enhance The User Friendliness:
      What drives more traffic towards a website? User friendliness. It’s a simple principle. Easily usable websites are popular among people. Nobody wants to go through hurdles to access or browse through a website.
      Nowadays, everyone can make a simple website, and it will be mildly user friendly as well, but the rules of the game change every second. More and more functionalities surface, and only experienced web designers how to properly embed them into a running website.

      Linux is one of the most secure OS systems on earth right now, but why doesn’t everyone use it? User-friendliness. Microsoft offers easier environments than Linux, and that is all that matters to the users. They are willing to risk security for an easier environment.

      What’s Unique Will Always Stand Out:
      With the availability of free themes and website codes online, anyone can whip up a website in less than half an hour. What truly makes it stand out is the uniqueness. The professional web designers go through hundreds of designs on a daily basis, and they know exactly what makes a website rise up to the top.

      When your website is easy, responsive, up-to-date with modern technology, and unique, the visitors are guaranteed to stay longer on the website, therefore generating more traffic towards the business.

      This becomes even more important when you are trying to build an e-commerce website because e-commerce websites typically involve more technical expertise to be done right. Right now e-commerce is booming and if you want to stand out from the competition. We can help you with any projects that are between $1500 – $3000. However, if you have a very large project, then Top eCommerce Development Companies is a good resource to check out other companies that like to take on large projects. 

      Uniqueness will standout when you hire a Web Design Company

      Let’s Sum It Up:

      You can employ an in-house web designer and get the basic simple web services, or you can hire a web designer firm and get the latest of the designs and ongoing support for your website whenever you want. They keep it up and running, so all you have to worry about is managing your business. They take care of your online presence and make sure that you are at top of your game.

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